Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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BETTING
An agreement in which two or more people contract to give a prize to whichever one correctly guesses some future fact or event. Betting is morally permissible by Catholic standards, but only on certain conditions. All parties to the contract must clearly understand the conditions of agreement in the same way, they must be sincerely uncertain about the outcome of what is to take place; they honestly want to pay (and can do so) in case they lose the bet; and the bet cannot be an encouragement to do something evil or sinful.
